onfronted by a mass of fallen ruins, scattered
pell-mell over the island by the power of the water, I am convinced that
every block could be replaced before the flood rose again. The temple of
Maharraka was entirely rebuilt in three or four weeks.

[Footnote 1: Proc. Soc. Antiq., April 20, 1898.]

Now, as to the effect of the water upon the reliefs and inscriptions
with which the walls of the temples at Philae are covered. In June 1905
I reported[1] that a slight disintegration of the surface of the stone
was noticeable, and that the sharp lines of the hieroglyphs had become
somewhat blurred. This is due to the action of the salts in the
sandstone; but these salts have now disappeared, and the disintegration
will not continue. The Report on the Temples of Philae, issued by the
Ministry of Public Works in 1908, makes this quite clear; and I may add
that the proof of the statement is to be found at the many points on the
Nile where there are the remains of quay walls dating from Pharaonic
times. Many of these quays are constructed of inscribed blocks of a
stone precisely similar in quality to that used at Philae; and although
they have been submerged for many hundreds of years, the lines of the
hieroglyphs are almost as sharp now as they ever were. The action of the
water appears to have little effect upon sandstone, and it may thus be
safely predicted that the reliefs and inscriptions at Philae will not
suffer.

[Footnote 1: Les Annales du Service des Antiquites
d'Egypte, vii. 1, p. 74.]

There still remain some traces of colour upon certain reliefs, and these
will disappear. But archaeologically the loss will be insignificant, and
artistically it will not be much felt. With regard to the colour upon
the capitals of the columns in the Hall of Isis, however, one must admit
that its destruction would be a grave loss to us, and it is to be hoped
that the capitals will be removed and replaced by dummies, or else most
carefully copied in facsimile.

Such is the case of Philae when looked at from a practical point of
view. Artistically and sentimentally, of course, one deeply regrets the
flooding of the temple. Philae with its palms was a very charming sight,
and although the island still looks very picturesque each year when the
flood has receded and the ground is covered with grasses and vegetation,
it will not again possess quite the magic that once caused it to be
known as the "pearl of Egypt.